When Stars Collide
by Dex Mendel
Summary: Students are welcomed back to Hogwarts for a chance for them to complete there NEWTs. Not all student missed there 7th year. So who will return and what new frienships lie ahead? We know Draco is excited to return but why? It can't be for just the edcuation can it?
1. Chapter 1

It was late but the entire castle was buzzing, for tonight was the Yule Ball. Students were flooding in from all directions. Bold and confident Slytherin's slowly filed up the stairs from the common room in the dungeons. Bright Ravenclaws came from across the small courtyard to the right of the great hall, and timid young Hufflepuffs seemed to glide down the hallway from their common room on the forth floor. While a flood of eager Gryffindors ran down the winding and moving stair cases.

Draco looked up and thought _boy do you even need to be brave to reach there common room_, as he watched a young Gryffindor almost miss the changing of the staircases. To him the ever changing stairs seemed convoluted and unnecessary. Draco was not filing into the icily decorated great hall like the other students. No instead he was waiting.

_Gha, how long can it take to get dressed. _Thought Draco as he passed the of the stairs, outside the great hall waiting for Pansy to emerge from the dungeon steps below.

Also waiting rather restlessly nearby was Potter. He seemed to be waiting for a Gryffindor, yet he noticed every once and a while he would check who was coming from the direction of the Hufflepuff common room. Draco always thought house co-mingling was a poor idea.

Finally Draco spotted Pansy on her way up the stairs, she wore a chertruse colored gown that covered were it needed to but no more. _Wow, I guess the time is worth the wait,_ thought Draco.

Then his attention was drawn away from the vixen in green, there was a commotion as a girl, no goddess was descending the stairs from Gryffindor tower. Draco stopped and starred. Coming down the steps was a student he swears he could never have seen before. I mean who could miss someone that beautiful. Her gown was not like Pansy's oh it covered much more skin. Its flowing purple skirts, made her look like she was floating down the stairs. It showed just enough of her womanly figure without put up a vacancy sign like Pansy's. Draco watched as she drifted gracefully down the stairs and took the arm of Viktor Krum, no the less.

_Of course the celebrity gets the prettiest girl, _ scoffed Malfoy to himself. His thoughts were soon interrupted by Pansy "Why on earth are you looking at HER." Pansy snarled.

"D-do you know who that was?" Asked Draco. "Ah… of chorus, its Hermione Granger… God, a girl does a little hair smoothing spell and you go falling all over her… Its discusting." answerd Pansy.

"HERMIONE" shouted Draco a little too loud. "The know-it-all filthily little mudblood." Pansy rolled her eyes "Yes, her now come on you haven't said one comment about my dress."

Pansy did a little twirl. That caused her gown to fly up higher than intended. Then she turned to him drew him close to her and said "SCREE SCREE' draco looked around confused what was going on "SCREE SCREE SCREE" continued the sound but it wasn't coming from Pansy any more. "SCREE SCREE SCREE"

Draco sat bolt upright and there was his pet owl Arcturus sitting on his footboard. "SCREE SCREE" screeched the young owl. Draco had lost his beloved eagle owl when Voldemort was living with them. Now he had the young screech owl, who seemed to enjoy waking up Draco every morning.

Shaing himself awake, Draco thought to himself. _What an odd dream it was odd that he would be dream of a time so long ago and frightening to relive the thoughts he had of Granger. _

Draco rolled out of bed and noticed that Arcturus had a friend with him. It was one of the common barn owls from Hogwarts, and it had with him a letter. _Strange _thought Draco _I don't have school anymore. Last year would have been my NEWT year except for the war and the Deatheater Society living here. I wonder what this could be about. _

Draco opened the letter

Dear Master Malfoy,

It is with great pleasure we would like to offer you a position in the newly created 8th year NEWT class. Do to the recent events of the war, it was brought to our attention that some students were unable to complete their NEWT level exams. Should you wish to return to Hogwarts for this finally year please return the owl with your reply.

Sincerely,

Melinda Jenkins

Hogwarts Headmistress

_Wow, an invitation to return, I never imagined in my wildest dreams. _ Thought Draco. He had assumed that when he had taken up the dark mark he would be indefinatly band from any such proceedings. Yet this would mean that his long hidden dream to be an auror may still be possible.

Quickly Draco scribbled his reply and the bottom of the letter and dismissed the barn owl.

Draco practically ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where he would find his mother. "Oh mother, Mother. You'll never guess what just happened." Narcissa watched as Draco rounded the corner into the kitchen. It had been a long time since she had seen or heard so much joy from her son. "I get to go back to Hogwarts." Exclaimed Draco as he came to a stop infront of his mother.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the start of a blistering august day the kind were you just know the mercury is going to sky rocket so high you don't even want to be outside. The Burrow although normally silent at this hour was bustling with giggling teenaged girls. Hermione and the Patil twins were going on back to school shopping trip with Luna and Ginny. Both Luna and Ginny would be starting their NEWT levels this year and wanted to ensure they had absolutely everything. With the wizarding world much safer and the 3 older girls tagging alone Mrs. Weasley finally relented to allowing Ginny to do her back to school shopping on her own. So the girls set off early in the morning to get the best deals, of course. With there purses bursting with summer savings, the girls formed a circle and CRACK they apperated into the still quite streets of Diagon Alley.

"Its seems as though pygmy puff fluff may have altered our perception of time, you know that young pet of your Ginny has quite inconvenient magical properties." Exclaimed Luna as she looked around the famous shopping district. Padma was the first to speak up."I think she's right Ginny, well maybe not the fluff part. But we must have been so eager to get here we didn't look at the time. We are nearly 2 hours before the shops open." Hermione answered there looks of disappointment "No bother girls, why don't we go across to the nice little café down the street and we can have breakfast and decide which stores to stop at first."

" I think I even have the newest copy of Witch Weekly in my bag." Said Ginny excitedly. "You know the one with, Him on the cover." Hearing this the other girls rolled there eyes although the two had broken up because of the war they were yet to rekindle anything, and Ginny was like swooning over every bit of information about Harry she could get.

The girls walked arm in arm down the silent street, till they arrived a the quite little café. "Let's sit on the patio!" exclaimed Pavariti. The girls took a seat at white wrought iron table that had a glass tabletop. The chairs also wrought iron shifted patterns as the girls took seats so that the back of each chair resembled their patronus animal. The girls took turns showing of there intricately woven animal chairs. Pavarti's had taken the shape of a tiger, majestic and strong, while Padmas took the shape of a great horned own wise and watchful. Next was Luna's turn to show of her bounding rabbit, followed by Ginny's horse. " Wait a minute that's not horse." exclaimed Padma "Ya we all have seen you cast a horse partonus." Continued Pavarti. "It appears her heart has changed, you do know that patronuses take on the shape of your heart, don't you." Explained Hermione. Ginny blushed and tried to hide the doe that had formed on the back of her chair then turned to Hermione. "Well then Hermione lets see your's after all we all know it was an otter." Hermione shifted off to the side to reveal her otter chair back. All the girls gasped. Quickly Hermione turned to look at the chair back. It was still twisting; it hadn't formed a weasel or any other animal for that matter. "I-I don't understand my patronus has always been a otter. Why would it change?"

The chair was still spinning around when the young woman came to greet them and collect their orders. She noticed the chair and kindly asked Hermione, "Oh, pardon love, I noticed your chair is acting up never to worry this happens from time to time I'll just fetch you another." She walked over to another table and retrieved a chair. "Afraid its not one of our now patronus chairs but it will turn your favorite color." Hermione smiled and exchanged the chairs, as she sat down it turn a beautiful purple that reminded her of the dress she wore to the Yule ball years ago.

The girls ordered their breakfast, and enjoyed chatting amongst themselves about what they had done over the summer holidays. The Patil twins would be starting University this year as they had already written there NEWTs. Pavarti was going to major in transfiguration, where she hoped to learn to be an animagus. Padma was going to major in potions she hopped to find a job at one of the ministry funded laboratories. Hermione on the other had did not get the opportunity to finish her NEWTs she had not returned for her final year and it hurt that she was not able to achieve the required grades to go to magical law school. Secretly she envied Luna and Ginny, although the war had interrupted their studies they could still make up for the lost time.

Hermione was still deep in though stirring her cappuccino, while the others gossiped on. Suddenly there thoughts were interrupted but a flurry of wind and feathers. A large barn owl swooped onto the table and landed between Hermione and Ginny. "It's from Hogwarts! But they already send my equipment list." Sighed Ginny. "I hope this isn't a last minute book list or worse a letter about stricter dress code." Ginny withdrew the letter from the birds grasp and let him finsh her scone, as she ready. The girls watched as her jaw dropped and she passed the letter to Hermione. "I-I-I think this is for YOU." "Me?" asked Hermione why on earth would there be a Hogwarts letter for me?" Hermione took the letter and read

Dear Ms. Granger,

It is with great pleasure we would like to offer you a position in the newly created 8th year NEWT class. Do to the recent events of the war, it was brought to our attention that some students were unable to complete their NEWT level exams. Should you wish to return to Hogwarts for this finally year please return the owl with your reply.

Sincerely,

Melinda Jenkins

Hogwarts Headmistress

Hermione couldn't speak. She could go back, dreams of heading the magical law enforcement squad rushed back to her. Everything was going to work out.

Finally the silence was too much and Luna kindly asked, "Hermione is everything alright what did the letter say?" Hermione practically shouted "I Get To GO BACK! I get to go back to Hogwarts to finish my NEWTs."


End file.
